"We talk about extensions with all our players under contract," Fisher said. "Whether or not we do so with him, I don't know where all this came from, but Sam's our quarterback. He's going to be under center."

Fisher added that Bradford took on a leadership role last season and is "doing great" in his rehab from ACL surgery.

Given the choice of Johnny Manziel and $7 million in salary-cap space versus Bradford and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the ATL crew unanimously voted to open Door No. 1.

Bradford entered the 2013 season as perhaps the NFL's most enigmatic quarterback. Although he padded his numbers in a pair of blowouts, it's not a stretch to posit that he's now a known mediocrity after four seasons in the league.

With an 18-30-1 record, a 58.6 completion percentage, 6.3 yards per attempt, a 79.3 pass rating and shaky pocket presence, Bradford has been more of a problem than a solution.

Considering the struggles of Tom Brady and Robert Griffin III early in their returns from knee reconstruction, Bradford can't be expected to suddenly start playing like a top-15 NFL quarterback in 2014.

Regardless of Bradford's pedestrian results to date, this team's brass is determined to sink or swim with their $78 million investment. We soon will find out how long they can keep treading water.